Water Requirement of Major Tuber Crops: A Review

One of the most crucial input required for the growth of crops is water. It is required by plants in enormous amounts and continually throughout their lifecycle. It has a significant impact on plant processes like photosynthesis, respiration, cell division, absorption, translocation, use of mineral nutrients and agriculture operations like irrigation, land husbandry, crop production, medium for spraying chemicals etc. But the future water supply is questionable due to climate change and related problems like rise in temperature. This lead to change in precipitation patterns and the entire water cycle are thrown off balance. Therefore, in the current environment, the development of water-saving agriculture is essential. As tuber crops are known for their high water use efficiency, it is having big part in water saving agriculture. Tuber crops are major sources of carbohydrates, thus play a key role in food safety. The starchy root of tuber crops can be used for various purposes like food, livestock feed, raw material in industry mainly for starch production etc. As most of the tuber crops are compatible with the farming systems, resistant to drought and withstand aberrant rainfall conditions, farmers follows rainfed cultivation of tuber crops. Anyhow water deficit stress occurring during the critical phases would adversely affect the ultimate performance of tuber crops and judicious use of water will result maximum yield. This review paper aims to know the water requirement of major tuber crops (Potato, Cassava, Sweet Potato, Amorphophallus, Taro and Tannia) and influence of water management in their yield potential.